Safety

Safety of our product

Our target users are synthetic biologists as developers. Common procedures are required to use our toolkit, for example, CRISPR Cas9 Knockout, PCR, and restriction-ligation. These steps are frequently carried out by target users and our toolkit can be safely used in any BSL1 laboratory. Users might need to make solutions for SDS-PAGE in a fume cupboard.

Although our toolkit does not directly target users with minimal biological safety background, as stated in our proposed implementation, detection toolkit for the general public can be developed using our tool. Therefore, we also consider the safety issues regarding that. In the development of the said detection kit, developers should be aware that nurses, doctors, or citizens may be in contact with the detection kit without any biosafety measures. Instructions on how to use the kit should be given clearer or the use of the kit should be supervised. To further improve the safety level, we suggest designing the detection kit in a way the user will not be in direct contact with the GM bacteria used for sample analysis. Such conditions can be fulfilled by building separated compartments for bacteria and sample loading. The physical separation between the two compartments will only break after the sample is loaded and the detection kit is sealed.

Lab Safety training and Biosafety procedures

Safety training

All members of the team had received a lab tour and basic safety instructions in September 2020. Before the summer wet lab sessions, all members who went into the lab were given detailed safety training including but not restricted to:

Fire drill
Use of the fume cupboard to handle antibiotics
Safe use of the bunsen burner
Antiseptic techniques
Safe disposal of biosafety waste
Proper personal hygiene

Bacterial strains

We have used the E. coli strains BL21(DE3) and K-12 BW25113 for transformation and experiments. Both of them are lab strains with BSL1.

Biosafety waste

All disposable materials, including agar plates, falcon tubes, microplate, pipette tips, etc, that had been or may have been contacted with laboratory bacteria are disposed of with the following procedures:

Used materials are placed in a designated bin with a biosafety labeled plastic bag
Kept sealed (if possible) until processed
At the end of the day, 1:49 Dettol is flushed into the plastic bag with lids or caps open. All surfaces of the biosafety waste are ensured to be in contact with Dettol.
Bag soaked biosafety waste soaked in Dettol is left overnight until the bag is disposed of as normal waste.

Although our E. coli strains are non-pathogenic, we are aware that they could still potentially cause problems in humans and in the environment, especially with their antibiotic-resistant properties. These steps are carried out as a routine so that genetically engineered bacteria in the lab do not leak into the environment.

Antiseptic procedures for reusable materials

Reuseable materials that hat had been or may have been contacted with laboratory bacteria include confocal flasks and glass pipettes (as streaker or spreader). Glass instruments are soaked with 1:49 Dettol overnight, cleaned, and autoclaved before next usage or storage. In our lab, a household pressure rice cooker is used as an autoclave machine as there is no autoclave machine at our school nor any authorized person who can operate an autoclave machine. Streakers and spreaders are soaked with 70% alcohol and flamed before next usage or storage.